Ice Burns
by DishevelledAngle
Summary: There was laugher, but there was screaming and crying too, and accusations stabbing at her like the sharpest of daggers. "Burn her," they cried out, "burn the flesh from her wicked bones!" Torches were lit. The heat was unbearable.
1. Chapter 1

**I know I haven't been around in a while...:) Well, I've been wanting to write this story for the longest. It's a bit 'angsty' and right about now, it is only a one-shot, unless the bunnies keep hopping and flopping. **

**Enjoy!**

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The grass was cool and damp beneath her bare foot, and for a moment she considered discarding her shoe.

She quickly rid herself of the thought. One shoe was better than none.

Cold wind gusted past her, the steam and mist of her quickening breath flying with it. It reminded her of tea, good and scolding hot, steam rising from the pot to fill the room with the fresh and sweet aroma of winter's citrus. The memories of the warmth made the cold even colder, and caused her to stop and slump against a tree.

She stared at the grey sky and hugged herself tightly. She could not stop running. She quickly scrambled to her feet, thin, bony fingers sweeping across her swollen belly.

The wind blew harder now, frosted dew flying from every angle. She paused to cover her head, only to stop longer and listen.

The sound of horse hooves beating against the dirt path. They seemed to match the beating of her heart...the risk of it bursting from her chest growing with every second.

The air grew rigid and her body warm. Her shoe flew from her foot as she stormed through the grassy clearing.

There was a shout, and then the wobbling sound of a bow string, the whistle of an arrow as it flew pass her ear.

More shouts.

She grimaced as her feet hit the cold gravel, and cried out when the cold waters of the lake engulfed them.

An arrow skimmed her shoulder.

Behind her she heard the unmistakeable sounds of horses galloping into the water. A light snow began to fall, the water reached her hips.

She could hear them. It was almost as they were on top of her. Water of their splashing hitting her in the back.

_Deeper. Deeper..._

There was an arrow in her arm, but she felt nothing. The air grew colder and she found it harder to move.

She ducked her head and dodged an arrow, before breaking out into a swim. The water was too deep for the horses now.

There were more shouts, muffled by the water of the lake.

A splash, and she knew he was after her.

Legs and arms began to tire, but she moved forward, the shore growing closer with each stroke. The arrows swam beside her now, like swimming snakes, shooting on the sides, some coming a bit too close for comfort and others far off. She kicked harder and did not risk going up for air. Best they did not know where she was.

When she finally emerged from the water, her chest heaved, her body shook, teeth clattered, and hair stuck to her face. She looked to the other side of the lake through falling snowflakes.

He sat on his black stallion, a blanket thrown over his shoulders, and his black hair just as unruly as hers.

Uchiha Sasuke was only human.

Her lips quivered heavily as more wind blew, her adrenaline levels dwindling. The arrow wound in her arm began to pulse, and with it the cut in her foot.

She began to turn as another arrow flew pass her. Her heart jumped into her throat and she spun to see angry eyes of obsidian staring into hers.

Before she knew it she was running again.


	2. Chapter 2

_imorin_**_-_ I will be making more chaps! And thanks :))**

_Guest_**- It is...kind of. Thanks for the review. **

**My nose is running as I type...I feel like a big blob of nothing. And my lip's bleeding from Maymay pulling at it to fall asleep. Lol, that child will be the end of me.**

**This chapter is a five minute long scene...at minimum. I know the chapters are not so long right now, but that's going to change. **

**Enjoy!**

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Her silks were heavy and wet, her bare feet and hands numb from cold. She found herself walking in circles, no longer able to run.

Her skin was paler than usual, and her fingers turning blue. She could not think with the evergoing clattering of her teeth.

The trees seemed to be growing as she walked, her feet sinking deeper and deeper into the frozen white of snow.

In that moment, Hinata became completely hopeless.

She could not bring her hands to her mouth to warm them, let alone force the cold air in and out of her lungs.

Hinata's hands shook uncontrollably as they went to hug her stomach. She knew not what would become of her, of both of them...

She could not find the strength to sob or cry out.

She forgot how to do that long ago.

At some point, she tried to force her teeth into submission, to end the chattering and clattering, but her jaws would not show any willingness to cooperate.

She could still see him on his stallion, hair dark as pitch, eyes of the darkest obsidian. And the men, oh, how monstrous were the men on horses of grey, black and white, she saw through them...but not through him.

And suddenly his face was fading into that of another...Lips moving as if singing, but song did not fill her ears and head. She reached for him, her fingers coming so close to the black of his magnificent armor...Nearly touching the reds and blacks of his robes and the robes beneath his robes, she nearly cried out as they skimmed the naked flesh of his chest.

There was the sea, and there was laugher. So much laugher. But there was screaming and crying too, and accusations stabbing at her like the sharpest of daggers, stones and rotten things slapping, beating and bouncing off of her.

'Burn her,', they cried out, 'burn the flesh from her _wicked_ bones!'

Torches were lit.

The heat was unbearable.

She clawed and ripped at her wet clothes, heat bursting from her core to fill every limb. They were so hard to take off, so hard she began to scream.

She threw herself into the snow that had gathered on the ground.

_More! More!_

The trees began to dance, spirits singing with his voice, his sweet voice. The ghost looked down upon her indifferently. And her son...Their son.

_"Hinata...Hinata...Hin-"_

Her cry tore through the forest.


	3. Chapter 3

**So many unsigned reviews...^_^****  
**

**It's freezing cold outside, but it just won't rain. My mom told me I need to tap into my Native American ancestry and do a rain dance...I'm contemplating.**

**The sky is so blue it's making me nauseous. **

**Listening to Her Name Is Calla- Pour more oil. One of my favourites.**

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Uchiha Sasuke was a man of his word.

It was a saying that floated through his head as they built a fire of the dry wood that they had found.

Uchiha Sasuke was a man of his word.

The wind sang and whistled outside of their shelter. All it reminded him of was his brother.

Uchiha Itachi was a fool.

The fact that his insolent older brother trusted that woman disgusted him, further pointing to how stupid he was.

And yet, Uchiha Itachi was a prodigy.

His brother was known for his quick wits, his wonderful fighting skills and his over all cool temper. His brother was a genius. His brother was to be king.

His brother was dead.

Along with the rest of his _dear_ family.

Sasuke's hands tightened around the leather of his boot as he pulled it onto his foot .

He rose to lay his wet clothes near the fire to dry. It was getting dark. Darker and colder. He heard the howl of wolves out in the distance. The last thing he needed was a pack of wolves spooking his horses.

Behind him, Naruto slumped against the wall of stone before throwing a bloody sack to Sasuke's feet.

"That's all I could get in this ragged weather. Aint no way this storm's ending tonight, and there aint no way in hell I'm taking my ass back out there."

Sasuke lifted the bag and dumped it of it's contents.

A fox, two squirrels, and strange berries.

Shikamaru pointed at the food obtained, "Are those edible?"

"We're not going to eat them."

"No appreciation, ", Naruto removed his wet shirt, "no respect, no l_ove._"

"Eat them yourself, then."

"I told you! I told you we shouldn't have come here. And we shouldn't have brought _her _with us, either. A woman on quest means bad luck!"

"Shut up, Naruto."

"No, because I told you something like this was going to happen. How are we supposed to find her now?The closest way to crossing the river is by that bridge, hundreds of kilometres away. We'll never find-"

"She's dead."

"What do you mean, dea-"

"Shut up, Naruto, or you'll be just as cockless as your horse."

"She's a mare, you pink haired bitc-"

"Shut up, you fool. What were you saying, Sasuke?"

"She did not survive her swim in that lake. The waters were almost freezing. If she is not dead, she is as good as dead. If the cold had yet to kill her, the wolves and bears will."

Shikamaru made his way to the bunch with a cup of tea, "But there is also that small matter..."

"She is a small and frail thing, and eight months with child. All the magic, demons, angels, spirits and all of the gods from all of the stories ever told could not save her. Hardly anyone lives beyond the river. She won't receive any aid. ", Sakura said as she went to get some tea of her own.

Uchiha Sasuke was a man of his word.

And that wretch of a woman was dead.


	4. Chapter 4

Guest #1- **Thank you! **Guest #2- **I don't know, you tell me. **sasuhina- **They're short cause I try to update fast...Sorry. **sulli8989- **I thought it was obvious...If it isn't, I can't tell you. :P ^_^****  
**

**I woke up and I saw your reviews and threw my fist in the air. Thank you for the awesome feedback! I know the chapters are short, but that is only because I am trying to update as frequently as possible. I start school on October 27th, and I'm trying my best to get this story out of my head and on to this site.**

**Gaara is a maniac...**

**The sky is still blue. -_-**

**Enjoy!**

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_You're not supposed to be here..._

Gaara moved toward the fireplace to dump the dried leaves into the boiling water. The steam from the cast iron pot flew into his face. He sat there with it topless, until his hair began to dampen.

He poked lightly at the flames, pushing the bloody rags deeper into the fire. They seemed to not catch the heat, then, finally, one took to the colors of orange and yellow...Even blue and purple in certain spots.

A wolf howled out in the forest, and he momentarily contemplated howling back, only to decide that it would have been fairly childish and even a bit out of character.

Solitude could do that to you.

But he was not truly alone, he knew.

The stench of them filled the cabin, and their voices whispered about. He would try his best to ignore them, but would soon find the task to be almost impossible.

They had showed up a day after he had gotten there. He had initially thought them to be the owners of the cabin. They had probably died in some tragic hunting accident, or maybe a bear, or a pack of wolves, maybe men had killed them. Maybe they were tortured to death- He caught himself.

As soon as they had realized he could see them, (a mistake on his part...He should not have thought of how the woman's hair resembled a porcupine aloud) they stayed in his face.

The woman would shout at him, and they would sit in a corner and snicker childishly while pointing fingers at him and falling into bursts of stupid laughter.

Sometimes they'd stand in front of him and wave their hands in his face. They called him_ 'Brooding Mumbles with the Weird and Creepy Eyes and the Queer Tattoo'_.

He'd wanted to bury them alive, only to remember that they were not...So it was most likely impossible. But he wanted to tear their limbs from their ghostly trunks and somehow feed them to the bears all the same. He wanted to behead them, cut their tongues out, gouge their eye balls from their skulls. He had wanted to flay and bleed their bod-

His tea was ready.

Gaara removed the pot from the flame and sat it on a pile of sheets before pouring himself a cup.

The metal cup heated quickly in his hands, so he drank it's contents away, not caring in the least that the liquids were boiling hot. He idly chewed on a few leaves as he looked to the corner where the two incompetent fools had been sitting and watched as they slowly disappeared.

This tea was his sanity.

He went to pour himself another cup.

A groan came from the other side of the room. He looked to the heap of covers and blankets and watched as they moved and shifted.

Two long strides and he was there.

"You're..." she slurred through cracked lips. "You're..."

"You're, yes." Gaara scratched beneath his chin. "You're..." he whispered as he turned to face her. There was something he wanted to say badly. It had been there seconds ago. It was...

He blinked.

_Oh._

"You're...You're not supposed to be here, Hinata."


	5. Chapter 5

Guest**- You're going to be surprised.**

Shonny**- Thank you!**

**You people deserve hugs and strawberry cheesecake! THANK YOU!**

**Sorry I could not update yesterday. Life. Wrote this chapter on the train coming home, listening to Mad world- Sea Oleena cover and The blower's daughter- Damien Rice.**

**Ughh...Blue skies. I'll find myself a corner and cry now. :'(**

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"How many?"

"One hundred and thirty four."

"Who?"

"My father, my uncle, my mother and...Others."

"I'm sorry."

He rose, scratched his head and looked at her. "Don't be. I killed them myself."

"Oh."

"You?"

She glanced down at her nursing child and pushed a few thick strands of black hair from his face.

"I don't know..."

Gaara was nothing less of strange. He was very quiet and really private, though for her that meant he was great company. She could tell that he did not mind her presence either, yet he had made it crystal clear that she could only stay for so long.

"You're not supposed to be here, Hinata," he had said as he brought her a cup of Rosin Rose tea, "and I have more important things to do than die at the hands of that Uchiha lout."

She had a month at the most, he told her. A month would do more than suffice. A month and spring would be upon them. A month and her baby would be able to handle the weather.

A month was more than generous.

Hinata gazed into his pupil-less sea green eyes then, 'The cursed ones'-they were called, and nodded.

The storm was still going strong out, and every now and then she could hear the roaring sound of a tree crashing down. The work of harsh, howling, merciless winds.

The cabin was windowless, and the light of the burning fire danced lightly across the wooden floors, walls and the ceiling, giving the place a warm, homey feeling.

Gaara had rationed the dry flowers and herbs for their teas, but would always give her more than he'd give his self.

"They say you need it more than I do," he'd mutter, "and they hardly ever say anything sensible."

When the tea would wear off, she would often find herself in a circle of spirits, two bolder than the others. They'd stare her baby and reach for him and laugh when he'd smile. Hinata found it cute, and quite...Disturbing. Gaara thought it flat out annoying.

"Do you know them?", she'd asked while trying to rock the child to sleep. She knew nothing of how to raise children. Gaara had scowled, shook his head, and threw down another cup of Rosin Rose.

In the evenings, or at least what they thought to be evening, they would have soup, or beans, or peas, or stews. Sometimes with rice, and sometimes meat.

The cold preserved it all so well.

And her baby was growing so big, so fast. She watched him squirm awake and gave him her breast. He would be a strong one, she knew. _They _spoke of it, always whispering. _They _knew too. Everyone knew.

She stared at the fire.

Everyone knew, including _him._


	6. Chapter 6

***Happy dance***

**The sky is still furking blue but I couldn't give a truck. No, seriously, I couldn't. Not now, anyway, with all of these amazing reviews and my financial state.**

**However, I am giving out cookies.**

**We have come to the point where I start fic-pimping. Don't act surprised, we all knew it was inevitable. My personal favourites are Cheesecake, Hawk and Mouse and The Day Fangirls and Perverts Died. They're all hilarious. well to me, anyway. I'd love it if you guys checked them out.**

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Rain could be so incredibly annoying.

No. Rain _was_ so incredibly annoying. It had ruined his perfectly spiked, ruffled, tousled messy hair.

It had taken away his charm.

If it wasn't for the rain, he would have those pretty women sitting on his lap, rubbing his shoulders, kissing his neck.

But nooo! They all went straight for Sasuke.

And for Shikamaru.

And a few even went to Sakura.

He shot down another cup-full and scratched under his chin. Maybe he should let his beard grow out. About navel length. That would be nice. Reeaaallyyy nice.

Well, nicer than the dumb trek they just ended.

Naruto actually liked her. She was quite nice, too. The quiet type. And she had read his fortune a few times, then looked at him with those big, strange eyes of hers and smiled.

Yes, definitely the quiet and kind type.

There was no way she murdered a king.

But who was he to doubt his _soon to be_ king's beliefs? The blonde had better things to do than be branded a traitor.

And she was dead now, any way.

No, she was not. She was a survivor. She had survived and endured so much through out her lifetime; her family's death, and the deaths of other close ones, the running. It was not the first time she had ran. She had ran plenty of times before.

And now that she was 'dead'...She no longer had to run.

A hand slowly crept across his shoulders. He turned to see a beautiful heart shaped face framed by curly brown hair. He looked into her brown eyes, glittering in the fire's light.

"You are very beautiful, and I am quite drunk," Naruto slurred as his eyes roved her body, "as intoxicated by you as I am by the wine." He smiled lightly.

"I like you, " she whispered with a voice that did not at all fit her delicate face and body, " you have a wise air about you."

She grabbed him by the collar of his shirt.

"Come here."

* * *

He could hear the rain as it beat against the brick walls and the smoked windows, and he didn't mind it at all. He shifted to see her staring at him, smiled back when she smiled.

He scratched is stubble.

"So, uhh, what's ya name?"

She wrinkled her nose, narrowed her eyes, and sprung from the bed as if it burned. He looked to the spot where she'd sat. No. No fire there.

Naruto looked back up to see her round butt, curved back, and mane of brown curly hair as she took the last stride out o' the room.

"The wine's probably out of my system."

* * *

He blinked.

Where in all hell were his boots and the coin purses that were in them?


	7. Chapter 7

**Yeah...Whatever. I had just finished my homework andI was like Oh my god! ICE BURNS! It's the end of the week! and as I pulled the hairs from my head and shook it violently in all directions, this chapter came to. I think I'm going to have to change the rating to M...There's so much I want to put in here, but I can't because I try to keep it T.**

**THE BUNNIES ARE HOPPING AGAIN! *Laughs evilly and rubs hands together* We have big plans.**

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He slowly wiped the sweat from his forehead, then stared at it.

He could feel his heart beating, hear it, as if it was in his head and not his chest.

He found himself afraid to turn around and look into his room. _  
_

He, Uchiha Sasuke was afraid of monsters that may or may not have been lingering beneath his giant bed.

He could not even force out the chuckle.

A breeze blew through the open window, slightly cooling his body. His eyes continued to roam the wall before him as his heartbeat slowed gradually.

The prince's gaze rose toward the window cautiously. Clouds glowed as they flew pass the white crescent that was the moon, and the wind howled it's midnight howl. It reminded him of ghost stories his mother had told him when he was younger; of the people who called upon spirits and woke them from their eternal sleep, using them to attack children..

Necromancers.

And she had been there, only not as the caller, but the called...Not the summoner, but the summoned.

Even in death her face haunted his thoughts and dreams.

It must have been the hate he hauled for her. She had, of course, killed his older brother, and was the reason the rest of his family had died.

She deserved to die.

He was a merciful man, as well as a kind one. He dared not kill women and children, never the less babies... Definitely not women who carried a child fathered by his brother.

But he'd liked to think that she was no woman, but more of a creature, a child of the devil's. Her pupilless eyes said it all.  
And the child she carried was no ordinary babe, nor was it his brother's.

Demons had urges, he had once heard, urges that were stronger than those of any ordinary human's. Who knew how many men she had let into her bed?

No, he should not even give her the privilege of thought. She was dead. He no longer feared-

He turned, sat up straight and threw the sheets from his body.

He had never feared her. He was not afraid of little girls with strange eyes. He was not afraid of ghost summoners. He would not cower. He was not a child.

He took a deep breath as his eyes roamed the dark room.

_Uchiha _Sasuke feared nothing.


	8. Chapter 8

**To all of the readers who saw that this story had not been updated night before last and went WTF ( if there are any of you)...Well, I'm sad.**

**My Maymay's gone...All that I am left with is a tiny sock, a chewed up piece of toilet paper, a few pictures and some old homework he ruined. This apartment is way too quiet. No waking up from him crying in the middle of the night, no seeing him smile when he opens his eyes and sees me, no more scratched up faces, or him abusing me while doing some weird monster baby growl, either.  
I'll find a corner and cry now. Oh, and thank you to the eleven new people following this story.**

**This was a long butt, heart aching chappie.**

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The sun was shining out- spring was finally upon them. The surrounding forest had taken to green, blooming, every thing seeming so much brighter. The days were even longer...and yet the cottage still held a chill. The cold still clung to every wall, and Hinata would try her best to warm the place.

She liked to blame it on the fact that it was only her and the baby. Gaara had left a few days ago to find food and fresh herbs, and it was strange to wake up cold after so long...

The weather out was still a bit too icy for the child and she still had not named him, for some unapparent reason. Something told her to wait, that it woud be better if she did.

She sat down and removed the bandage from her arm. The hole was still there, drying slowly. It had festered not too long ago, but was treated by Gaara. 'Herbs and fire', he'd said, and the room had been filled with the sickening scent of charred, rotten flesh and tea.

Hinata sat down in front of the fireplace, before trying to start a fire. The small amount of light that came through the cracks between the logs was depressing, and she dared not to think about opening the door, less the wolves and bears freely pranced on in and finished her off.

A spark here, a spark there, but no flame. Maybe the wood was wet, from all of the snow that had melted ...

Or maybe the universe hated her.

Her eyes narrowed ever so slightly, Hinata slowly stood up before striding toward the door, footsteps echoing off of the wood. Her hands quickly pushed it open.

She stared outside at the trees, the birds flying, the clouds floating, sun shining. Her foot slowly lifted from the grey and dusty beige of the old wood, ready to land in the rich brown of the moist mud.

Then the baby began to cry.

Her foot slowly came back down, returning to the grey.

She walked toward him while ringing her fingers.

"You're not cold, right? I covered you, I did." ,she removed a blanket, "Better, right? Please stop crying."

But he only seemed to get louder. An ear cutting sound, one that only made her breathing become faster, and her heart beat quicken.

"Stop it!", she screamed as she jumped to her feet, tears stinging her eyes.

"Stop!", she sobbed and pulled at her hair and clothes, running back and forward. The tears fell as she stared at him, her sobs joining his.

"Hinata."

"Make him stop."

He dropped the sack by the door and strode toward her.

"Hina-"

"Make him stop!"

"You're-"

"Gaara...Please..."

He went to grab the baby, to pick him up and comfort him, only to be snatched by Hinata and pulled into a maddened, tear filled kiss. And as he tried to free himself, he was pulled harder, held tighter. So he did the only thing he thought would calm her.

He kissed her back.


End file.
